Boys Don't Cry

Rating:
Summary: THE REAL AMERICAN BEAUTY
Review: Don't get me wrong, I love Annette Bening, but after seeing"Boys Don't Cry" you will have no doubt why Hilary Swank wonthe Oscar. Besides, for me somehow the hatred and desolation that can exist in small-town America is a story that needs to be told more than yet another of well-money suburban ennui. END

Rating:
Summary: BOYS DON'T CRY:HEARTBREAKING BEAUTIFUL FILM
Review: Kimberly Peirce's debut film BOYS DON'T CRY put Hilary Swank on the map with its brilliant and horrifying, heartbreaking and beautiful, romantic and sad story of Brandon Teena, a young man in Nebraska who found the wrong friends, hung out with them long enough, and rubbed them the wrong way. His story is so important and beautiful and wonderful that it needs to be taught in classrooms. It may be hard for mainstream America to hear, but it's a heartland story that should be known. Beautiful and sad, Brandon's love for Lana is the purest thing in the world and one moment of this movie is so heartbreakingly forshadowing and so beautifully pure, I wanted to freeze frame and just end on that note. It didn't...but the ending brings hope to a world of muck and filth and maybe,just maybe,that hope is as pure as the duo's love.

Rating:
Summary: Respectful Film
Review: The brutal rape and murder of trans youth Brandon Teena shockedmany in the small Nebraska town of Humboldt where the events occurredfive years ago. But it came as no shock to the many thousands of trans people who live under the threat of violence every day. Since December 1994 when Brandon Teena--and his friends Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine--were all murdered by John Lotter and Tom Nissen, various artistic attempts have tried to put the events in perspective. Two plays and two films have so far chronicled the short life and violent death of working-class youth Brandon Teena. The latest attempt is the film "Boys Don't Cry," directed by Kimberly Pierce. The film is a fictionalized account of Brandon's last few months on earth. The writers and director have taken some liberties with the facts of the case. In fact, one of the women whom Brandon Teena reportedly dated in real life has asked that her name be removed from this film. The ethical issues facing a filmmaker fictionalizing a story about real people--some of them still living--make this film a target of justifiable criticism. But the film also makes an important contribution. It reveals with an unflinching gaze to a mass audience the violence wielded by bigots against someone seen as "other." For transgender and transsexual people--and many others whose lives have been wounded as targets of such frenzied reactionary violence--the graphic portrayal of brutality may be extremely painful and difficult to watch. The film begins in Lincoln, Neb., where Brandon Teena--whom this reviewer felt was played quite convincingly by Hilary Swank--runs from bigots who have discovered the "secret" of his birth sex. Teena moves to Falls City, where he is initially accepted by a group of friends. There he begins a love relationship with a woman named Lana--played with warmth by Chloë Sevigny. But his life begins to unravel when Falls City Sheriff Charles Laux arrests Teena and publicly exposes the fact that he was born female-bodied. This exposure leads two of his former "buddies" to gang-rape Brandon Teena. And the forcible outing by the police eventually leads to his later murder at the home of Lisa Lambert. Lambert's friend in real life--Phillip DeVine--was also murdered at the house. But this was not depicted in the film. This omission unfortunately means that viewers don't know the part that racism played in this murderous attack. DeVine was an African American man who was visiting the virtually all-white town at the time of the attack. There are large issues that are not covered in this film. Brandon Teena's identity and murder are taken out of social context. Trans oppression as a whole is not explored, for example. Neither is the question of working-class oppression. In the beginning of the film Lotter and Nissen have recently been released from jail. The entire area is extremely economically depressed. There appear to be very few jobs for anyone--especially former prisoners--and poverty is commonplace. Drugs and alcohol that numb the mind and senses are used heavily by all characters throughout the film. Lotter and Nissen are the kind of white straight men so marginalized in the working class that they can be seduced by right-wing ideology into blaming trans people and women for their problems. Ultimately Brandon Teena was killed for attempting to be himself in a world that has little tolerance for sex and gender variations. This intolerance isn't simply a symptom of living in a small town in Nebraska. A mountain of historical evidence reveals that transsexual and transgender and intersexual people lived in small cooperative communities for thousands of years before the division of society into haves and have-nots. And they enjoyed the respect of their communities. But these were societies based on sharing the fruits of communal labor in which each member's contributions were vital and therefore appreciated Brandon Teena is a victim of quite a different historical period. Under capitalism, a tiny handful of families claim to own the vast system of production that has been built through the collective labor of the working class. Ideology that whips up bigotry plays an important role in such an unjust and unequal economy. It disarms and weakens the potential unity of the giant laboring class. Had there been no 1969 Stonewall uprising--which subsequently unleashed the massive modern movement for lesbian, gay, bi and trans liberation--Brandon Teena's death might have passed unnoticed and this film would never have been made. And the progressive struggle to shed light on his murder is a part of the growing movement for trans liberation--a social movement that may end up shaking the current notions about sex and gender to their very foundations. But it will take a truly massive and united struggle against all forms of bigotry to put a stop once and for all to the kind of violence that claimed Brandon Teena's life--and the lives of so many other trans people.

Rating:
Summary: Courageous, Intense, Devastating
Review: Congratulations to the filmmakers and financiers of this bold film, and also to the Academy for giving it prominence.

"Boys Don't Cry" succeeds as a portrait not only of a sexual identity crisis but simply as a portrait of one woman's compassion (Chloe Sevigny) for another human being--it succeeds where "My Own Private Idaho" failed because "Boys" is an aesthetically cohesive work of art. Director Kimberly Pierce is astonishly gifted. Her attention to detail, composition, and her ability to use locations and static objects as metaphors for what is transpiring in the minds and lives her her characters is remarkable. The editing is also another noteworthy feature (although the use of flashbacks in Act III is unnecessary and detracts from one of the film's most powerful scenes).

Although Hilary Swank is undeniably amazing, it is the character played by Chloe Sevingny that gives this film its emotional resonance. Her role is not a supporting role but a lead role--in fact she is technically the protagonist (undergoes classic character change)and has nearly as much screen time as Swank. Sevingny's performance is absolutely brilliant.

One warning: I walked into this film unaware of how disturbing it would be and was blindsided. This is a gritty, no holds barred film about a sensitive subject.

Although I doubt this was Kimberly Pierce's primary intent, the film also stands as a powerful argument in favor of hate crime legislation. There is an emotional plea for tolerance at the core of this movie, and people on the political fence may find that this film moves them in the direction of conceding that hate crimes comprise a separate category.

Rating:
Summary: Positively brilliant
Review: This film blew me away. It was painfully honest and brutal; two qualities, sadly, missing from most American films. This is riveting film making and one that delivers its punches with a true sense of drama and uncompromising integrity, never willing to shy away but, also, never willing to sink to the lowest denominator for the sake of shock value. Teena Brandon (a.k.a. "Brandon Teena") was the victim of crime but she is never portrayed as a pitiable creature. Hilary Swank and Director Kimberly Peirce steer clear of the leaden approach to tragedy so often adopted by most filmmakers. They elicit from the viewer a sense of compassion and understanding without delving into cheap sentimentality, vulgarity and horror. The end result is a positively brilliant film, which stirs passion and, even perhaps, ignites rage, yet, all the while, leads one to wonder how it is possible that in this day and age such a tragedy could have transpired. The desolate location and simple and straightforward camera work keep the film grounded and real, yet the intelligent script, direction and flawless performances by EVERY SINGLE actor raise this film to incredible heights and, ultimately, serves more as an exercise in psychological terror than it does a mere drama. A veritable kick in the stomach after effect will ensure that even the most jaded and desensitized viewer will never forget this frightening tale of homophobia, ignorance and fear run amuck. An unforgettable film, indeed. One finally note: Chloe Sevigny was seriously ripped off. That Oscar should have been hers, not Angelina Jolie's.

Rating:
Summary: Searching, Release, and a Journey of Beauty.
Review: "Boys Don't Cry" is the most phenomnial movie that I've ever seen.

I saw this movie in a tiny upstairs theater in Ashland, Oregon, and was thoroughly shaken and impressed when I walked out.

"Boys Don't Cry" is the story of a girl who is posing as a boy because that is what makes her the most comfortable with herself and with the way she wants to live. The story takes place in a small town where she (the character's name is Teena Brandon, played by Hilary Swank) meets and falls in love with a girl who lives there while posing as a male. It's based on a true story... and it's phenomnial. The budget for the movie was something like $2 million, which is SMALL for a current day film, and it was beautifully done.

The movie is just about the trials that Teena as Brandon goes through as guy... the people he interacts with, how he has to deal with things as a man...and how comfortable it is. It's also about love... The love of the girlfriend's family who "adopts" Brandon when they get together... the way Brandon and his new friends intereact... what Brandon does to get accepted... and the love between Brandon and his new girlfriend.

The movie is about relationships. It is about the love and friendship and all of the joys and sorrows that come with the choices that are made.

Unfortunatly, this movie has been tagged with a lot of sexuality and gender biases, which may very well keep some people from seeing it. In almost every review you read you will find terms like "Transgender", "Lesbian" or "Homosexuality". It's true, those issues do come up in this movie. But if you are capable of sitting in the theater and watching without outwardly sneering or being crude due to your homophobia, then I recommend seeing this movie.

I keep trying to put the experience of seeing this movie into words, and I find that I just can't. You need to see it for yourself. All I can say about it is that I saw it a week and a half ago, and it is almost all that I have thought about since. I honestly believe that this movie will change you and how you view the world. It certainly changed me.

Like I said before, this is the most phenominal film that I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: I wonder how the true Bradon was.
Review: I got a picture of how Bradon is portrayed in Boys Don't Cry. But I wonder how he/she is.

I don't know the true Bradon and I can't say if he/she has gender identity disorder who needs a sex-change surgery. Even if it's so, it's nothing about "mentally screwed up". Bradon was who he/she was. He/she knows what he/she wants -- a surgery, Lana and life -- maybe more.

The movie is technically good. The editing, composition and rythm. But I doubt how much the director understands Bradon or the way she deals with how Bradon is portrayed.

Is the true Bradon really both a lesbian and a transgender? What else? Bradon is portrayed only as a lesbian and a transgender. Queers have their lives beside their "queer matters". Queers have families and friends. Queers are not queer-only.

Please also beware female masculinity does not equate gender identity disorder.

The pain as a transgender is not seen in the movie. It's not funny or anything about sex appeal in a movie to see Bradon puts the fake pennis in his/her pants. It's about someone's self image. It's about someone who wants and are brave enough to be oneself.

I hate the what's-a-dyke scenes -- bathing and having period -- to portray the ordinary as extra-ordinary.

Rating:
Summary: Hillary Swank Deserves The Oscar
Review: "Boys Don't Cry" was one of the most emotionally gripping films of this past year. Hillary Swank has already won the Golden Globe and every other major film critics award for Best Actress (i.e. New York, L.A. and Chicago Film Critics, etc.) and she certainly deserves all the recognition she's receiving. Her performance as the doomed Brandon Teena is riveting. Combining a sweet akwardness and shy vunerability is what makes Swank's performance so compelling. She is definitely my favourite to win on Oscar night. And if she does win l would just like to say to all those skeptics out there who doubted her talent, "I told you so." Equally compelling is her co-star, Chloe Sevigny, who portrays Brandon Teena's girlfriend. The two have some amazing scenes together which display the raw talent of each of their award-winning performances. Even though this is a small, independent film, l believe it needs to be seen by a larger audience. Go see the film if you haven't already. Be warned that the film does take a dark, violent turn near the end but l guarantee you you will most definitely be left feeling the powerful impact of this true-life story.

Rating:
Summary: Review Of "Boys Don't Cry"
Review: I have turned into "movie reviewer Kate!" I have seen quite at few movies at the Cinemas (which is odd for me cause I used to never really enjoy Cinema now I do, maybe it's cause what I was usually dragged to see was crap, and was not about acting, merely creating a box office hit) lately like Melbourne's Premiere of The Green Mile, were I ran into two famous people (Peter Brock and a Neighbors actor), then later I saw an Australian film called The Wog Boy, which was really funny, took the piss out of all Australian's, but in a good way. If you have ever been to or lived in any big Australian city or met any "New Australians" then I recommend this movie that was shot right here in Melbourne which is very subtlety advertised through the whole movie, from shot of well known spots in the background, not to mention the Vicrtoian number plates sporting the famous Victorian saying "Victoria-On the move".

But one movie stands out in my mind that I happen to see in St Kilda yesterday. The event wasn't completely planned. I was just SO HOT (It was almost 40 degrees in the sun!) that I was willing to pay $9.50 for 2 hours of decent air condioning, and i got it, as well as a movie that i didn't expect to be so brilliant. It is called "Boys Don't Cry", and is written and directed by Kimberly Peirce staring Hilary Swank (90210, Buffy) and Chloë Sevigny (The last days of Disco) who filled their incredibly demanding roles superbly.

With me and my strange quite urban anti Hollywood all for Independent Films taste these movie rate with stuff like In The Name of the Father,Pulp fiction, Basket Ball Diaries, Train Spotting and even the New Zealand production staring Kate Winslet (Titanic) before see went Hollywood there was Heavenly Creatures. (I hear she is back in an independent film though, shot in India were she plays Australian girl!)

That is not to say this movie is any thing like those movies I mentioned. It is TOTTALLY different. The only thing it has in common with In In The name of the Father is the way it made me feel through and after it. It made me angry, sad, compassionate, shocked and uncomfortable (only a good film does this!), most of all it changed the way I think about some things. It broaden my horizons you could say.

I must warn some spectators before they see it, that it is a story of a girl from southern American state that believes she is suppose to be a boy and there fore dresses in cross gender. And actually dates girls, as they believe she is a boy. The story line is very different and dares to tackles a touchy very serious subject head on. (But I could say this movie conceptis more easily digested then the Australian film "Head On" staring Alex Dimitriatedes that is about Beats)(If you do not know what a beat is then don't ask!)

But the thing is that if you get past cringing at homosexual kissing (if that does make you cringe?) Then you get close to the main characters, actually like them, as the director intended to portray them as real breathing innocent people and show the way they lived, after all it is based on a true story.

I say if you choose to see this powerful movie then go in with an open mind and your mind and it might open your eyes.

To those who condone disrrimaintion I will be interested to know if after watching this movie if you still condone discrimination and taunting against people who are "different". If you still do then I do not believe that you have a heart, in fact I find it hard to believe you are a human being.

I must say that I walked out of that cinema thanking god that is was not my reality, but I couldn't forget that it is a lot of people's realities. And that can be a hard, cold and lonely one.

Remember "expect nothing and you shall receive" is my motto when it comes to seeing a new film. Feel free to email me at [e-mail] for feedback, or to share your opinions. Cheers! By Kate;) Stanborough

Rating:
Summary: Not Masquerading and Not about sexual orientation
Review: This is an excellent film, however the subject is heart wrenching. The film isn't about a girl masquerading as a man or about a confused lesbian. These terms have unfortunately been equated with the film and are inaccurate. Brandon was an FTM, a transgendered person/transexual who was pre-op. The film does deal with Brandon's affirmation of his (yes--editors-HIS)true SELF (read Jung). Chloe Sevigny portrays a young woman who is able to see beyond the physical and into Brandon's true SELF. Unfortuately, 2 disturbed men, who have many issues in themselves, in their limited vision and supposed masculinity are challenged by Brandon's transgenderness. They project their own insecurities out on Brandon--brutally raping and murdering Brandon, a young mother, and an African American (not shown in the film). Warning: this film is emotionally upsetting and demonstrates the issue of violence on many levels--all folks can relate. In many respects, this film ranks on the levels of Schlinder's List and Platoon. Please make sure you see the film with someone so you can talk afterwords. Trust me, I conducted a panel after a showing of the film for an audience of 40-50 individuals. Let the pain in and feel it. It's the only way you can truly understand the film.

It's too bad that Kimberly Peirce was not nominated for an Academy Award for her direction. The film is EXCELLENT!